An intimate, well-crafted portrait of a nurse on a mission adds depth to this exceptional Civil War steampunk thriller, the self-contained sequel to 2009s Locus Awardwinning Boneshaker.Mercy Lynch, recently widowed and taxed to exhaustion by caring for Confederate wounded in Richmond, must cross the war-torn nation to reach her estranged father, who lies dying in the Washington territories.

After her dirigible is shot out of the air, Mercy joins Horatio Korman, a Texas Ranger with an agenda, on the Unions famous steam engine, the Dreadnought.On their trail are desperate Confederate soldiers and a zombified Mexican legion.The battles and intrigue are entertaining, but the real draw is Priests latest no-nonsense heroine, who comes equipped with a full measure of sharp judgment and brutal competence as well as a nurses kind (but not saintly) heart.